Naturally Crystal Clear

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Followers

About Me

I love being a Mom more than anything. My children are the most amazing gifts God has ever given to me. God has also blessed me with an awesome husband. My cup runneth over!! I enjoy saving money and making different things especially with food! I like to use herbs and natural remedies. I homeschool four wonderful children. I am a convert to the Catholic faith and I love it!

Monday, June 22, 2009

Menu for 6/22-6/28

Last week I forgot to factor in a Father's Day meal!! So I traded with another night that had a better meal. I realized early on in the week so I had some wiggle room. I did make cinnamon rolls for breakfast though. I had everything on hand for them. I keep brown, white, and powdered sugar (for icings) on hand. We don't use them much so they last for a long time. Sunday is my daughter's birthday so she picked out what she wanted me to cook for the day. I can't believe she chose BLT sandwiches. Next Monday we are taking her out to eat and to a movie. My husband is off on Monday's and theatres and restaurants are not as busy then. We don't enjoy ourselves much when they are packed.

It has been very difficult for me to plan our menu's these past two weeks because I am eliminating dairy to see if my breastfed 6 week old is having a reaction. I am still giving the children dairy just not myself. Next week I will introduce it again to see if his crying fits at night get worse. They seem to have improved. I am unsure if they are colic, dairy or both. I didn't realize how much we use dairy products until now. Going without makes me crave it more. I also realize that we have been eating far beyond the recommended amount of dairy. Something I need to work on.

Monday

Pasta with chicken, zucchini (from our garden), carrots, tomatoes, onions, and bell peppers. I make a sauce to go over it. I make up all kinds of different sauces. I don't like using store bought sauces or condensed soups. They are expensive and unhealthy. Sauces are easy and cheap to make. Homemade sauces aren't exactly healthy but they don't have a bunch of names I can't pronounce and they are lower in sodium than the store bought alternative. Homemade tastes better too.

Tuesday

Spaghetti with sausage and veggies

Wednesday

Black beans, rice and veggies on corn tortillas with salsa and sour cream.

We are going over to our Family's house for dinner. No cooking for me!!!

Saturday

Our Church celebration of St. Peter and St. Paul. I am going to bring a cake.

Sunday

Cinnamon Rolls (breakfast)

Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato Sandwiches on homemade rolls with hash browns and cake. (The lettuce comes from the garden)

Breakfast

Oatmeal (I try to serve this at least 4 mornings because it is so good for you), whole wheat muffins, and whole wheat pancakes. All served with fresh fruit.

Lunch

We usually eat sandwiches on homemade bread with veggies. My husband brown bags our leftovers from dinner. I also freeze muffins, pancakes, and banana bread for his breakfast to take to work. He works four 10 hour days.

Snacks

Fresh fruit, Fresh vegetables, homemade yogurt, whole wheat chocolate chip cookies, popcorn, muffins, and bread. At my house if there is left over bread from lunch my children devour it. They LOVE homemade bread. I think it is their favorite food.

I went $2.36 over our $50 weekly budget (excluding our Sam's trip and Breadbecker's order). I did have some extra cash set aside from previous shopping trips that I used. I only take cash with me when I shop to stay within my budget.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

We organize our bills to track what is due, when, if it has been paid and how it was paid. I organize everything into columns.... one for the due date; bills to be paid; a check box for after it is paid; confirmation number for online payments or check numbers if mailed; and a total column for large totals still due (ex. Our Mortgage). I know this could be much neater and printed off of the computer but I have always written it and it works for me! I list the bills according to their due date. I also staple an envelope to the back to hold receipts and track our spending on another page. The little pink journal is a password book that contains all of our passwords. I never save them on the computer. I even tally up the total for the entire month so I know at a glance how much our bills are monthly.

The folders inside of this collapsible filing folder are labeled from January to December. I place the invoices of our bills in here after they are paid. I also place our bank statements, Explanation of benefits, and anything that needs to be saved monthly. I save them until the next year. When I start a new month I shred last years bills. I never throw away pages from my bill book. I use later to compare our bills to previous years. Inside of the collapsible there is a storage section where we keep our checkbook, pins, & etc, and it has a mini collapsible section that we use as an envelope system for cash. The envelope system is suggested by Dave Ramsey. The bill notebook and password book fit neatly in the back of folder. So all of our bill needs are in one place, in our handy dandy notebook (a sign that I watch too many children shows). For more great tips check out We are that family. http://www.wearethatfamily.com/2009/06/wfmw-its-all-in-bag.html

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Gae at http://cherishedheartsathome.blogspot.com/ is encouraging herself and others to commit to thinking about 4-6 things we can do each week to bring our thoughts, prayers and actions to keeping our 'Hearts for Home'. In today’s busy and aggressive society mothers at home are not given much encouragement to be committed to their role in being home. I thought this was a great idea and something I want to focus on and work on daily.

We use herbs and natural remedies when we are sick. Right now Big Al is sick and he has a cold. Limited Edition Herbs makes liquid Combination Multi Tracts that work well http://www.limitededitionherbs.com/index.php. They combine the herbs together for different ailments in a glycerine base instead of alcohol. There are also herbs available in Single Multi Tracts (just one herb). The ones we are using right now is Breezblend (for asthma), Magnificent Mullein (dry cough), and Echinacea for Health (immune enhancer). Each blend has more than one herb ex. Magnificent Mullein contains mullein, marshmallow, angelica, calendula, orange peel, elderberries and essential oils which aid the respiratory system. I buy the 8 oz bottle and on the website it was listed for $32.00. They mailed me a discount order form and the 8 oz. bottles were $19. The phone number on the form is 1-800-867-7353 if the discount is still available. The bottles we use the most have lasted almost a year, though we don't get sick often.

Other things to do:-Simmer onions covered with honey for about 30 mins. cool and give as needed for cough.-Cut up some garlic and allow to sit in olive oil for the day. At bedtime rub on their feet and put socks on for cough. The next morning they will have garlic breath! Garlic goes straight to the lungs. It works really well. It also boosts the immune system.-2 drops of Grapefruit seed extract (GSE) into some juice or water 1-3 times a day.-Glass of warm lemon and honey-Eat a clove of garlic at bedtime. Now most children will not do this! But adults can and adventurous children can if they want. My daughter will because I bribed her once (with chocolate) and the next day she was all better. My husband doesn't care how much better he will be, he will not eat plain garlic. I will eat a clove in a minute, even if the children are sick and I'm not.-Also a spoonful of plain honey can help soothe a cough.

I use all of the above together and colds don't usually last long when we do get them. The garlic oil on the feet works wonders even for an asthmatic cough. It even helps stop Big Al's wheezing. If the cold is severe enough I still have to use his breathing treatment. I just watch him very carefully. His asthma only flares up when he's sick.